SPEEDWAY is in mourning this week after the passing of Ivan Mauger, arguably the greatest rider in the sport’s history.

The six-times World Champion died in a nursing home on Australia’s Gold Coast at 4 am Queensland time (7 pm on Sunday evening, UK time). He had been suffering from dementia.In a glittering career which began at Wimbledon in the late 50s, the Kiwi superstar was one of the dominant forces of world speedway in the 60s and 70s, serving top flight clubs like Newcastle, Belle Vue, Exeter and Hull.We will be paying full tribute to Ivan in both this week’s and next week’s Speedway Star.